Steve Lovell is in a defiant mood ahead of Gillingham’s visit to League One leaders Portsmouth on Saturday.

Reflecting on the League table, the Gills boss told us, “We don’t want to be in this position, but I enjoy it- it’s a challenge and it’s a challenge that I like to get over to the players and make them better players for it.”

“It’s how you manage the situation – it’s how you manage them as individuals, you’ve got to talk to them and try to give them confidence if they’re struggling in confidence.”

“When you’re in a losing streak like us it’s very easy to lose that faith that you’ve got in yourself very quickly and it’s up to us the staff to try and keep it in them – we’ve got faith and we know they’ve done it before and they will do it again.”

“It’s just a matter of having a bit of luck and the ball running for you – we’ll take whatever we can get and keep working hard until it changes.”

“And it will change!”

“These players are a great bunch of lads and they want to work hard and listen, and I believe that it’s just a matter of time before it does change. So, we’ve got to keep believing in ourselves, passing it onto the players and again this week in training they’ve been fantastic and are looking forward to going to Fratton Park on Saturday.”

“I feel gutted for them at the moment as they’re perhaps not getting the results that their undoubted work rate deserves. As long as we keep the work rate and the desire going, it will change!”

“I was happy to bring these players in during the summer which the Chairman allowed me to do and at the start of the season I was very happy with my squad.”

“If I give up, then there’s no point me being here – I always believe with the hard work and the commitment it will turn around and if it doesn’t, it won’t be for the want of trying for this Football Club, from me and the players and my staff.”

“What we don’t want is the players to have no confidence themselves to play in another position when we know that they can do it and have done it before.”

“They can make a statement that it’s a lack of confidence, that they can’t play like that or in that position when we now they’ve done it before.”

“Some people can get through that – get through the bad patches and can come through that because they still believe in themselves.”

“The ones that don’t get left behind and what we can’t have is to have people left behind – they’re no good to me on a Saturday!”

“We need people who have got confidence no matter who it is. If I’m going to stick with someone out there on Saturday, I need to know that they’re going to do what we ask them to do.”

“Of course it’s frustrating for me because I know that they can all do it, so it must be doubly frustrating to them as they must know that they can do it!”

“But confidence is something that you’ve got to build up yourself – I can tell everyone that “I trust you to do that job for me” but if they haven’t got the confidence themselves, then they’re no good to me.”

“It’s up to them – they’re adults, they’re human beings and they’ve got to address that and deal with it themselves…  It’s like me now – the run of results that we’ve had, my confidence could be shattered.”

“But that’s no good, it’s not going to get me anywhere – I have to have the confidence in myself to turn it around.  And that’s the strength in character and that’s what I’ve got.”

“Now whether it works or whether it doesn’t, I’ve got the confidence to believe in it – I believe in what I’m doing and that’s what we’re trying to get over to the players – just believe in what you can do or what you should be doing.  And if you do that – if everyone does that, we’ll have a chance and we will get out of it!”

Asked about the squad he will be taking to the South Coast, Lovell confirmed, “Elliot List should be back and Bradley Garmston’s fit after going off last Saturday – Charles Regan-Cook, Billy Bingham and Connor Ogilvie on the other hand we’ll give as long as we can, but we’re not that hopeful!”

Lovell finished in a bullish tone as he said, “We did it last year (went on a good run) – everyone did their job last year and we went on a good run and I know that if we get a little bit of a lift as a group,because that’s what happened last year when I took over.”

“We got a lift by that first win at Peterborough – it lifted everybody – you felt it all around the Football Club and this is what we need now and where better than to get it at the League leaders on Saturday.”

“We’re working hard enough – we just need that boost to lift everyone around the place.”